Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 inaugurated the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, the first Hindu temple in the United Arab Emirates.
The BAPS temple will be an enduring tribute to the values of harmony, peace and tolerance, which both India and the UAE share,” PM Modi said in a statement ahead of his visit to the Middle East nation.
The pink sandstone temple sits on a 27-acre plot in Abu Dhabi, making it one of the largest in the Middle East. While Islam is the official religion of the UAE, the country is home to about 3.6 million Indian workers.
The guest list for the inauguration ceremony at the temple included Indian government officials, Bollywood stars and members of the billionaire Ambani family. Senior Abu Dhabi officials were also in attendance.
Former Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Navdeep Suri, said that it is a very symbolic day for the Indian community, adding that it has been a spiritual as well as religious need for them.
